Sound Reasons for Leaving
by JaneAire
Summary: What exactly were the reasons Sara left? This littly ditty fills in the gaps I like to think happened. Could be a one-shot.. could not be.. who knows?
1. Chapter 1

* * *

He was called to a 419, just out in Henderson. It was nearing end of shift and Grissom was way past tired. It had been a long day, a stripper convention, complete with their entailing businessmen were in town. Three dead pros, two dead CEO's and a dead gorilla. The man in the gorilla mask at least had the good sense not to hide the gun. It was an interesting case, but closed none the less. Apparently the waitress just really hated gorillas. At least, Grissom thought, he was a cheating husband. A small internal head chuckle at the weirdness of fate, how a wife could find her husband, complete with costume in a city as big as Vegas, still eluded him. These were his thoughts as Grissom entered the small classroom of the local college. It was a plain room; an attached closet and something that resembled an office were the only rooms adjoining it. The dead body was sprawled out on the desks, three to be precise, and the blood had been pooling for quite some time.

"Male, mid to late teens, bullet to the back of the head. Dead on impact. DOA... I assume you're Grissom?"

Gil was forced out of his dreamy state as he looked to the unfamiliar Coroner.

"Gil Grissom, CSI Graveyard Supervisor" Grissom said as he introduced himself, and both men held their hands, complete with latex gloves in a sign of greeting without compromising the evidence.

"Blake Reed, I'm new to Swing, but out here in Henderson, it's only me. I'll send the paperwork and the body to your people; I got a few burials to get to."

At Grissom's inquisitive stare the man elaborated, "Head Coroner, Burial Director, and Funeral Director. In small towns we combine jobs. Less work, more pay."

Grissom nodded sympathetically, and went to run through the crime scene. The Coroner ducked out after securing the body to a gurney, and rolling his way out of the evidence.

Grissom was bent over an interesting specimen of beetle, when he heard the soft footfalls that heralded a visitor.

"Shows over, people. Move on to the next body." Grissom said distractedly without glancing up at the new arrival.

Not even for an old friend?" came the soft reply from the doorway.

Grissom recognized the voice in an instant and thought about their first conversation in Vegas.

"I don't even have to turn around. Sara Sidle."

That's me." Came the soft retort. But it wasn't full of the joy that touched it the first time.

Grissom turned on the spot and glanced at the figure in the doorway. She was there, business suit skirt, and all. Hair tied back and curly, pearls roped off her neck.

"Seems you can't out run death."

Grissom just nodded and uttered a small "Indeed" as he continued to study her. He had lost track of her during her disappearance. Her things were gone by the time he got home, the dog having been fed and walked. She thought of everything, except the hole she left in his being. She had gone, up and left him emotionally drained.

He felt older than he ever had looking at the sparkling beauty poised beside him.

"I assume you work here?" Grissom asked in a voice he tried to keep level and unimposing.

"Have for a while, I teach Night School Forensics."

"You always were the star pupil."

They shared a brief sad smile, and he got up to greet her. He missed her intensely, missed the brief smiles, the small things around the house she'd do that he'd never think of. Who thinks of fabric softener? Or dryer sheets in the drawers to make everything smell clean? Un-Alphabetizing the movie collection in favour of genres instead. He'd never think of these things, and yet he missed the simple elegance she created in their home.

"I'm glad you're safe." He finally said after reluctantly letting her go. They shared a brief non-awkward professional handshake. He pulled her close and patted her back slightly. It was a slightly weird embrace, but an embrace none the less. She wouldn't let him pull her into a hug. She held on to the large briefcase in front of her in a vice grip. Nothing as intimate as a hug. He smelled her hair, and she pretended ignored it. She ignored a lot of things nowadays.

"... and happy." He added quietly, looking into her brown eyes to see anything resembling happiness.

She had a large briefcase out in front of her. He noticed the slight plumpness of her fingers, and a slight roundness of her face. He wondered what was under that briefcase.

"I should get back to the scene, but..." Grissom floundered as he made weird hand gestures going between Sara and himself.

"Death waits for no man, Gilbert." Sara replied rather cryptically.

"Or woman, apparently. Lunch later?" Grissom inquired as he looked at her with his sparkling blue eyes, a lost boy with hope.

"Office is down the hall, can't exactly miss it."

"Big sign says Sidle?"

Something like that."

They shared another brief smile, and she walked off. The policeman returned, guarding the scene, and Grissom returned to his work.

A few hours later, when the evidence was turned in, and Grissom had all but had it, he marched the two doors from his scene to her office. For once in a very long while, he could wait for the puzzle to be completed. He could wait for someone else to run the skin tags, go to autopsy, and collect shoe prints. He sent Greg, and Warrick to finish the work. He didn't even feel guilty. Chalk it up to a training exercise.

He met her office door with a standstill, willing it to open. He breathed a calming breath, and turned the handle sharply. He was greeted by a small room, one wide window, butterfly specimens, and a large desk. And of course a woman behind that desk.

"I see you've found me."

"Indeed I have, shall we go?"

Sara closed her eyes, made a slightly wincing face, and got up to face the music.

Grissom stood there entirely dumbfounded.

"I... uh... huh." Gil said as he stood feet planted firmly on the ground, and yet he felt like he was floating. Floating somewhere good he hoped.

"Couldn't... I couldn't... I wanted it to be safe. No way Vegas will give me that."

He took in her large stomach, hand pressed gently against her back, and wincing expression.

"And you felt the best way to remedy that would be to move and tell no one?" Grissom replied smoothly and without malice. Just a hint of inquisitiveness at the end.

Just a line of questioning from one friend to another. Kind of like analysing bug behaviour he thought.

"At the time... Yeah actually. We never talked about this..." she said gesturing towards her belly.

"Well... we will now."

She smiled, brief and warm. It lighted his soul.

"I'm... I'm not sorry I left the way I did. Although I probably should have rethought the office smooch." Sara said smirking, and pressing her lips together slightly. Their little signal to each other.

Lunch?" Grissom said, as he still marvelled at the thought of a child.

"Its 6:30 Gris."

Well... More like dinner then huh."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

They had been together, more or less, from the beginning. It was a casual thing at first a random meeting at a convention. They slept together randomly too. Every so often he'd show up and she'd take him in. They weren't exclusive, they weren't dating, and they weren't much of anything really. It wasn't just sex, well not at first, but sometimes it was. A need to reconnect with nature, with humanity, with her. They were friends, more than friends, less than friends, all rolled up in one convenient package. She was sure he didn't love her at first. They just had sex, but they weren't a couple. There weren't any future plans or any plans at all really. They had sex randomly. One of them would just jaunt over to the others house and there they'd be. No small talk, no hot talks, but just good satisfying sex. Usually he would call her beautiful, and then make breakfast. But most of the time when they had finished he'd kiss her, they'd shower together, and then go off to their respective responsibilities. At a time she had wanted more, she wanted someone to share her life with not some random sex once in a while. So she asked him out on a date, in public together as a couple, and he politely declined. So they went back to random sex, and then she got a boyfriend. The sex stopped. Then the boyfriend-thing collapsed and the sex started up again. After a while he stopped leaving her, he slept at her place more or her at his. Then he moved apartments and while she was at work moved her in. She came home, to his new one, and found all of her stuff in convenient piles. So apparently she had moved in with him. Apparently he wanted a little more than just sex and it went on from there. And then she got pregnant, just after she was abducted. He didn't seem to notice, and she wondered if he ever would. And so she left, picked up her things and left him a note. Her hormones were running wild, she was getting fat and tired, and just up and left. She found a job, and a new place, and eventually she thought he'd find her. He was an analyser by nature, and she figured that he would figure it out eventually.

And so here she sat, eating Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches with her lover, pregnant as all get-out wondering where exactly they were. She knew the sex they had two minutes ago had been fantastic, and the sandwiches he made were tasty, but he kept touching her stomach and making weird noises to it. It was freaking her out.

"Do you mind?" Sara asked politely through a mouthful of sandwich.

"No dear." Grissom answered distractedly.

"It can't talk back you know."

"huh, What?"

"The kid. Grissom, the kid can't talk back. Probably can't even here you."

Doesn't mean I can't try.

True. So.." Sara mumbled, while waiting for his eyes to lift from her stomach to eyes.

"So...?" Grissom repeated while still fixated on the stomach.

"I'm up here, Gris."

Yeah but he or she is down there."

She rolled her eyes, and got off the bed to put on clothes or something that would distract the man willing to be distracted.

And yes they were eating Peanut Butter sandwiches naked in bed. It felt routine, even though the bed was new, and the apartment as a long way from town, and she wasn't his student anymore. And they didn't live together, and his hair was greyer than it had been. And she was much bigger, but pregnant so it didn't count.

"What about the case?" Sara inquired polietely, although it was yelled slightly because she was in the other room.

"Left it for the rest of the team, took a couple personal days. Apparently I needed a break."

I see." Sara replied, and then added, "National Geographic is on in ten. You make the pop corn, I'll bring my giant belly?"

Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Huh... So we did this. We really just did this."

Yes and you were there."

How far along are we?"

Sara's eyes bulged slightly at the "we" but she tactfully kept quiet on that point.

Almost five months, four and a half really."

Are you supposed to be this big?" Grissom asked distractedly as he ran his hand over the swell of her stomach.

Sara's eyes rolled on their own accord, and she bit back a seething response.

Sara sighed and stated quietly, "I don't want to end up forgetting to eat, so I end up eating all the time."

Always the problem solver, you are."

Look that Hippo is pregnant too, why don't you ask her questions?"

Well one should never ask a Hippo about their girth."

They lounged around for another day in a half, had amazing sex, and eventually deemed the outside worthy of their time. They took a walk around the town, mostly to get ice cream from the small variety store down the street and a movie to accompany it. Half way to the store, Grissom turned his thoughts over to the woman on his right.

Aren't you supposed to be a work?"

That's the good thing about a teaching gig, Gris. Weekends."

Ahh." Came the only response as he yet again eyed her stomach.

Twenty minutes later, they were thumbing through the magazines and crossword books, and Sara was clutching her tub of ice cream.

" I wonder if they have any openings." Grissom stated out loud.

"You've lost me. Who are we talking about?"

The idea of weekends, where the week actually ends, seems rather appealing."

Her eyes glistened, and she sighed. She could only manage a nod in reply.


	4. Chapter 4

Sara woke up to the oddest feeling in the world. Gil Grissom, esteemed CSI Supervisor and Bug-Man extraordinaire, placing earphones on her stomach, with a big giant smile on his stupid face. And she wasn't exactly feeling magnanimous today. Actually she felt annoyed. More than annoyed. Sara woke up to the most sincere form of pissed off a pregnant lady could muster. It was one of those things that just jumped her emotional balance. Like when she was shopping for clothing at the local department store and she ended up a sobbing mess because she felt ugly. Or when she was shopping for towels and inadvertently walked into the baby department and became frustrated because all the baby items seemed to have ugly characters on it, and she really hated the ducks for some reason. And then she felt the sudden urge to buy everything because she felt really unprepared for this thing, alien life form really, to exit her body.

"Really, Gil, the thing is less than a lemon at this point. Do you really think Shakespeare on Tape will help?"

How could it not?" came the succinct reply and a smirk in her general direction. The man was either bat-shit crazy, or annoyingly complicated and confusing. Either option worked right now.

And then she felt it. Or rather he felt it and then told her about it.

"Did you feel that?" Grissom whispered to her even though they were alone and naked on Sunday morning.

Feel what? That annoying beat flutter thing? Yeah, happens all the time."

Is that a kick?"

That would be my foetus saying Hello."

Ours, dear." Grissom corrected absentmindedly as he placed his ear against her.

"Oh really? Do you have the Uterus? Or perhaps the back pain? The excess fat? The cravings for ridiculous amounts of beef products even though they make you nauseous at the same time?"

No, but you seem to have the hormonal imbalance covered."

Oh of all the things..." Sara muttered as she climbed over him to get out of her bed. Her bed. Not theirs, not his, hers. The damage on her Visa told her so.

She got dressed with her back to him, and her shoulders set. She was formulating a plan. It was hard so freaking hard because she loved him. She really did. But the man was... infuriating and complex, and sometimes that made her love him as the ultimate puzzle but other times, like the time she was living now, it made him an ass. A big giant, bug loving, handsome perfect lover, jackass. A jackass who knocked her up and didn't notice. How could someone not notice that? You'd think that after the first month of daily sex with no interruptions of the bodily kind that he would have put two and two together. He excelled at biology for goodness sake.

I've got to run errands. When I get back you've either figured out what's bothering me, or you've left. Deal? Super." Sara left without checking for his confirmation of a nod or wink or some kind of nonverbal gesture, because the man was plain non-verbal. But Sara was, she enjoyed the inflections she added to her speech, the way she could say one thing one way and then the same thing a different way. She used to tease him with that. Saying "Yeah you will" in an indistinguishable tone to his "I'll see you later?"

She was out the door in less than thirty seconds with her purse slung over her shoulder in a defiant manner.

Leaving Gil Grissom, esteemed CSI Supervisor and Bug-Man extraordinaire, with a big stupid shocked look on his face.


End file.
